"We planned on throwing a reception with everyone, cake, dresses, and dancing. It was just the vows we wanted to keep to ourselves," I finished.
A few tears escaped her eyes, but she was smiling, and I was very confused. "Are you okay?" I asked studying her. I’d just witnessed a pretty wide range of her moods. Bec looked a little paler and seemed to have lost a little weight she couldn’t exactly afford to lose.
I’d only seen her like this one other time, when she was…oh. “Becca are you pregnant?” I asked.
Becca looked back at Aiden, who had a giant smile on his face.
“Please don’t say anything. I wanted to tell you and Toni at the same time, but she already had plans with some guy tonight,” begged Becca.
“I won’t say a word. Are you happy about this?” I wasn’t really sure what to say. On one hand I was worried because she was only twenty-two, and she was pregnant with her second child. But on the other hand she had a loving husband who also happened to be filthy rich. It wasn’t like she was going to struggle to make ends meet.
She smiled sweetly. “Aiden and I decided that we wanted a big family. We were going to wait until I finished school, but Scott started walking, and I didn’t want to wait anymore. Both of us were only children, and we wanted Scott to be close to his siblings.”
“How do you feel? Is it better than last time?” I asked concerned. Becca’s first pregnancy was difficult. She was sick the entire time, we assumed due to stress, but it was obvious her extreme morning sickness was Hyperemesis Gravidarum, and required medical attention.
She checked to make sure Aiden was focused on his conversation with Reed. She lowered her voice, “It’s the same as last time. I can’t keep anything down. I don’t want him to worry.”
“Pregnancy can be scary enough and yours comes with added complications. I think he has a reason to worry,” I commented.
“He worries enough. I’m not going to add to it. I know you don’t want to stay here, even though this is the safest place for you to be,” she said.
“Sometimes safe can be suffocating. I don’t mean that you are…shit, I just mean that I’m tired of playing it safe. I want this time with Reed, before kids and life gets in the way. I want him to myself. You get that, right?” I fumbled my explanation.
“I understand. Aiden and I haven’t gotten much time together alone, but the moments we get are precious. Look, I know what it’s like having to depend on others like this. But you don’t have much of a choice. Besides, I need you here, Kate. Without you Aiden is going to rush me to the doctor every time I sneeze,” she argued.
I patted her on the shoulder. “You play dirty, Becs. We’ll stay.”
Chapter 39
Reed
“What do you think they’re talking about?” I asked Aiden.
“My guess is that Becca is begging Kate to stay here with us to keep me from knowing how bad she’s been feeling during this pregnancy,” he answered.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You guys are back to protecting each other by keeping little secrets?”
Aiden shrugged. “It works for us. It isn’t like we are really keeping any secrets. I know she hasn’t been feeling great. She knows I’ll at least figure it out. C’mon you and Kate do it too. Isn’t that why you haven’t told her about the break in at the Science building?”
“What break in?” I demanded.
“You don’t know? I thought that was why you decided to stay at a hotel. I heard you say that there appeared to be someone lurking outside your bedroom window, but I thought you just didn’t want Kate to know about the vandalism,” he explained.
“I didn’t know. I just had a bad feeling. Usually I would have shoved it aside, but not with my wife next to me,” I said.
I paced back and forth. “I hate this. I hate waiting around for something bad to happen.”
Aiden stepped in front of me, forcing me to stop. “Let’s do something about it then.”
“But what? The police believe Pratt is dead. If they are even looking at the possibility of someone stalking us, they aren’t looking at him,” I complained.
Aiden motioned for me to follow him. “We don’t need them. We’ll do it. The PI my dad hired got pulled away to work on a high priority case, but you still have the skills to investigate and I’ve got the toys you need to do it.”
We walked down the hallway to Aiden’s office. He opened the door to a room filled with computer equipment.
I looked around stunned. “Why do you have so much technology in here?”
Aiden leaned against a desk. “I’m a photographer and I like to edit my own pictures. If you haven’t noticed I'm a bit of a control freak.”
“Oh, sweetie, we’ve noticed,” Becca commented, leaning against the doorframe.
Kate stepped in behind her. “Spill it. The two of you are hiding something and I want to know what.”
I sighed. I wanted to shelter her, but it wasn’t much use in this case. I'd just finished reading the police report Aiden had somehow obtained. The vandalism of the Science building would be in the paper and on the news by tomorrow morning.
“The microbiology lab was vandalized. Tens of thousands of dollars in microscopes were broken. All of the glassware, test tubes, pipettes, and beakers were smashed. The tables, white board, and walls had graffiti spray painted on them. All of that is fairly standard vandalism. What is odd is that the second lab station was doused in ethyl alcohol and set on fire. The table surface warped and will probably need to be replaced,” I detailed.
The color drained from Kate’s face and she held her hand over her mouth. I rushed to her side, and wrapped my arms around her, afraid she was about to faint.
“That is the lab station I usually worked at. The last night I was in the lab I felt like there was someone there with me. It freaked me out, but I kept working. When I came back from the prep room all of my stuff was knocked over, and my keys were just sitting on top of my bag. It scared me, so I left,” Kate described.
“Where are your keys?” I asked suddenly.
“In my bag,” she answered confused.
“Is your house key still on the ring?” I pressed.
“No, it never was. I had it on a small key ring that I keep in my pocket,” she said pulling it out.
“Why?” I asked curiously.
Kate looked over at Becca. “After Becca was abducted I started carrying my house key in my pocket. When I moved in with you I swapped your key with the one to Toni’s house.”
I hurried into the living room and retrieved her purse. I handed it to her. “Show me Toni’s key.”
She dug through her bag and eventually came up with her keys. Fumbling through the assortment of keys several times she stopped and dropped them on the table.
“It isn’t here. It should be, because I haven’t given it back to her, but it isn’t,” she announced, the panic rising in her voice.
Aiden and I shared a look. “I’m on it,” he reassured.
He made a couple of quick calls. “It’s all set. Jeremy is going to move Toni into the guest room and Cameron will take Becca’s and my old room. From here on out we stay together. Either here or at Jeremy’s,” Aiden ordered.
“I don’t want to go back to hiding,” Kate complained.
“She’s right. We can’t go on like this indefinitely. Something is going to lure us out of this house, whether it’s classes, work, or doctor’s appointments. Hiding isn’t an option,” Becca argued.
“Why did John come here?” Kate blurted out.
“What did you say, Katie?” I asked surprised by her sudden change in conversation.
“I just don’t understand. What does John have to do with Pratt? Did Pratt track him down and tell him where I was? If he did, why did he kill John?” Kate questioned.
“We can’t exactly ask John what Pratt told him to get him here,” I commented.
Kate paused. “We can’t ask, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still tell us,” she an
swered hesitantly.
“How?” Aiden interrupted.
Kate sat down on the floor. She pulled her knees up and rested her head on her arms. “I can pray that the police have John’s personal effects in storage, but I doubt it. His mother would have picked them up immediately.”
“What exactly are you hoping to find, and what are we going to do if his mother has it?” I inquired.
“I’m looking for video tapes. John was obsessed with keeping a video journal. I’m betting he didn’t stop that habit. If his mother has his things, then we’ll have to go to Illinois if we want answers,” she explained.
“I’ll call Daniels,” I offered.
It only took a moment to confirm what I suspected; John’s personal effects as well as his remains had been turned over to his family. I was going to have to bring my wife back to the epicenter of her personal nightmare to get her the answers I knew she needed.
Chapter 40
Kate
Aiden and Becca made an excuse to leave the room, but I knew that they were really giving us time alone.
Reed closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the sofa. He sagged into the chair and I knew I wasn’t going to like what he was hearing. “Thanks, Daniels…No, it’s what I expected, but I wanted to make sure first.”
He ended the call and set the phone on the arm of the chair. “Come here,” he beckoned. I didn’t hesitate to go to him. His arm dropped around my shoulders, and he pulled me tight to his side. I placed my palm over his heart and felt it hammering hard and fast.
“It’s alright,” I comforted. “I can handle this. As long as you are next to me I can handle this.”
“Of course I’ll be with you,” Reed promised.
“I’ve go to call my brother and see if he wants to come,” I thought aloud.
Without saying a word Reed handed me his phone, and left the room. He always knew when I needed him with me, and when I needed space.
I dialed my brother and waited for him to pick up. “Hey, Cam,” I greeted.
“What’s up, sis?” Cameron replied.
I sighed. “I have to go to Illinois.”
“What in the hell for?” Cameron snapped.
“I need answers, Cam. Reed and I both do. What if there is information about Pratt on one of John’s tapes?”
“I can’t watch those tapes again, Ana,” Cameron whispered.
I sucked in a shocked breath. “You called me Ana.”
I could hear his frustration over the phone. In the years we’ve been on the run he had never slipped up and called me by my real name.
“Sorry, I was remembering. In Illinois, and in my memories you’ll always be Anabelle,” he admitted.
“Are you coming with us?” I managed to ask.
“No, no way. I can’t go back there. Maybe someday, but not now. You know I’d go if you had to face that alone, but you aren’t alone anymore,” Cameron said.
“Jeremy told you, didn’t he?” I asked.
“That you eloped? Yeah, he told me,” Cameron answered.
“I..I’m…” I began.
“Don’t okay,” he interrupted, “I’m not mad. Not really. I understand you weren’t excluding me, but that you needed to be alone with Reed. And I’m not mad, because you are still going to have a wedding.”
“Why would Jeremy tell you? I thought you two weren’t talking,” I pried.
Cameron released one short laugh. “Jeremy is stubborn. I’ve tried to push him away, and the idiot won’t budge, thank God.”
“Why aren’t you with him then?” I pushed.
“I don’t know. I’m not as strong as you, but we’re trying to be friends again. It isn’t what he wants, but it’s what I can give him,” he answered honestly.
“For now,” I added. “It’s what you can give him for now.”
“I hear lots of people hook up at weddings,” Cameron said, lightening the mood.
I groaned halfheartedly. “You know I don’t like being the center of attention. But I’ve already had my moment with Reed. If it would help you stop being a flaming dumbass, I’ll consider it. I’m sure his family would appreciate a wedding as well. We’ll talk about it when I get back,” I replied and hung up the phone. I didn’t really feel like arguing with him. Marrying Reed was the best decision I’d ever made. Doing it again wouldn’t be difficult.
Reed reentered the room a few moments later. “Is he coming?”
“No he isn’t ready to go back there, and since I have you…” I shrugged.
Reed’s brow furrowed. “Are you?”
I wanted to tell him I was, that I could face anything with him by my side, but that would have been a lie. Just the thought of returning to Highland, Illinois made my heart pound erratically.
The couch dipped down next to me. Reed gently tipped my face up towards him. “You’re worrying me. I don’t like seeing you panicked like this. We don’t have to go. Someone else can see if there’s any evidence in his personal effects. I don’t want to do anything that'll cause you pain.”
My eyes filled with tears, and I blinked several times trying to hold them back. “I have to. This has to end, and I can’t sit around waiting for someone to get answers for us.”
Reed nodded once. “If you’re sure I’ll go book us tickets.”
He started to stand, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. “No,” I shrieked.
“Katie girl, it doesn’t seem like you are ready to face this,” he observed.
“I want to drive,” I blurted out. “I need the time on the road to get ready. Plus I drove away from there, and I want to return the same way.”
He leaned forward and kissed me on the head. “We’ll leave in the morning. If you can’t handle it, or you start to shut down on me, we will turn around and let someone else take care of this,” he said staring me straight in the eyes.
“That’s fair,” I agreed. “But, I get one free pass.”
“Oh, yeah why’s that?” he challenged.
I looked up into his vibrant green eyes. “I have somewhere I need to visit. Something I’ve put off for far too long,” I spoke quietly.
He studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, you can break down, but you aren’t allowed to shut down. Just keep talking to me.”
A tear slipped free, and travelled down my face. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Tell me what’s running through your head,” Reed insisted.
“John’s dead, my parents are dead. My past is buried in that town. It’s over, so why does it still scare me?” I asked him.
“I think we both know that the past can continue to hurt, even when it’s dead and gone,” he reminded me.
“You’re right, but at the moment John isn’t what’s bothering me, not really,” I admitted.
Reed turned his head and studied me for a moment. “If it isn’t him, then what is it?”
I wiped the tears away from my face. “It’s stupid, but even though I know it’s impossible, a part of me doesn’t want to accept that my parents are dead. Sometimes I need my mom so much I can’t breathe. I wanted her to help me get ready for my wedding. I want to watch my parents’ faces when they see my child for the first time. Why can’t my heart accept what my head knows to be true?”
Reed stroked my hair and let me drench his shirt with my tears. “You never gave yourself time to grieve. Knowing they are gone and accepting it isn’t always the same thing. You said there was somewhere you needed to go. It’s their graves isn’t it? Is this the first time you’re going there?”
I shook my head against his chest. “I went to their graves for the funeral, but I was on anxiety meds and I don’t really remember that day clearly.”
“Then we’ll go, together. I want you to focus on saying goodbye to your parents while we’re there. Don’t worry about watching the tapes, I’ll take care of that. I don’t want the memories from him to crowd in on this opportunity to say goodbye to your parents.”
I bar
ely heard a word after he said he was going to watch the videos. I didn’t want Reed to see those tapes. I lifted my head off his chest and fisted my hands in his shirt. My voice quivered with my rising panic. “Promise me you won’t watch the ones dated from five years ago. Only watch the recent ones that might tell us something about Pratt. Reed, you have to promise you won’t watch any of the older ones,” I begged.
Reed’s mouth dropped open and I felt him start to shake under my fists. “Did he…I mean did you and he…aw fuck, what I’m trying to ask is…” He swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
“You want to know if there’s a sex tape,” I supplied.
He gave one jerky nod, and held his breath for my answer.
“If there was?” I tested.
He stood abruptly and turned away from me. The muscles in his back were pulled tight, and his hands pulled at his hair.
There wasn’t, but I wanted Reed to tell me that it wouldn’t have mattered. It was the past, and it couldn’t be changed.
“There isn’t,” I finally answered, letting him off the hook.
His arms dropped down, and he released the breath he was holding. Finally he turned around to face me. He looked relieved.
“If you think what is on those tapes would be easier to watch since it isn’t a sex tape, you’re wrong,” I warned.
A muscle in his jaw jumped back and forth. I could see that he was trying to control his fear and anger. “What’s on the tapes, Kate?”
I shook my head trying in vain to forget the images burned there from the one time I saw the videos.
“Kate,” he insisted.
“Me goddamnit!” I shouted. “I’m on the video! Beaten, bleeding and pretty much broken. It’s ugly, and I really don’t want you to see it,” I continued, breathing hard. “Promise me you won’t watch it,” I begged.
“Katie,” he paused. Reed closed his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t think I’m strong enough to see it anyway. Not when I can’t go back and stop it.”
I stood up and turned away from him. In a small voice I asked, “If it was the other kind of tape?” Would he still love me? I wanted to ask, but I was terrified of the answer.
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